CBN Sharpening Station

I decided to get a set of CBN sharpening wheels after reviewing comments on how well they worked. When I received the wheels I removed the guards and mounted them on my grinder. That is when it dawned on me I had no way to use my Tormek jigs or the sharpening platforms that came with the grinder. Sigh!

The solution for me was to build a platform for my grinder that would allow me to use all my Tormek jigs and the sharpening platforms that came with the grinder. It consists of a platform with two adjustable risers that would support a bar for my Tormek Jigs and the two sharpening platforms that came with my grinder.

In order to use the Tormek Jigs I mounted a bar between two fully adjustable risers. I added two ruler stickers I made on my ink jet printer so I could repeat the positions required for the jig. I made two templates, with A and B mounting points (see sixth photo above), that allow me to insure the bar is positioned properly. I made a block (see middle of the first photo above) that allows me to accurately set the length the tool protrudes from the jig. This, and the ability to accurately set the distance from the grinder and height of the riser, make setting up the Tormek Jigs a piece of cake.

One big advantage of using the bar is I can shape the tool on the rougher grit and slide it to the finer grit to finish sharpening without changing any settings.

The adjustable risers also double as mounts for the sharpening platforms that came with the grinder. Two sharpening platforms came with the grinder. The one on the left is set up for sharpening drill bits; the one on the right is a flat platform shown above. They are not interchangeable on the original mounts. That means you either have to have the same grit wheel on both sides or change wheels if have different grits. The risers I build can be used on either wheel since the are mounted in T-Tracks. Now I can use the flat and drill sharpening platforms on either wheel.

Below are links to two YouTube videos I posted that provide more details on the Sharpening Station. The first is a general description and how it works. The second is a followup that describes construction details.

I got the CBN wheels from Woodturner's Wonders. They have a two Radius Edge CBN wheel deal that is hard to pass up. You get 5/8” arbor; 8-inch CBN wheel pairs, with combination grits for $249. The combinations range from 80 to 600 grit. The combination I would recommend is 180/350 or 180/600. Either the 350 or 600 grits will get your tools scary sharp.